salty lap top

[MikeGuyver]

Our old HP has died. We're looking to replace it , question is ,with what. Is there a brand or model that is less susceptible to corrosion ?

[rmeador]

Panasonic Toughbook computers have a reputation for being near indestrucible. I was once in an open-doored jeep chasing after a military vehicle that was doing maneuvering tests on difficult terrain and one of my coworkers dropped the Toughbook that was recording the data out the door... it survived with barely a scratch. I have no idea how well they do in a marine environment.

I'm currently in the process of building a new computer for my boat. I'm going with a small form factor desktop instead of a laptop. I'm also not going to use any magnetic hard drives, since I don't think the constant motion of the boat is good for the bearings inside them (I'm pretty sure that's what killed my old computer, not corrosion). I recommend you buy a computer with all solid-state drives to avoid that problem.

[travlineasy]

They're all susceptible to the intrusion of salt air. I would suggest purchasing one of the new Acer netbook computers. Very compact, the battery seems to last forever, great features, the display is very bright and the cost in minimal. I've been using an Acer Aspire One, which now sells for about $300 on Amazon. Amazon.com: Acer Aspire One AOD255-2509 10.1-Inch Netbook (Diamond Black): Electronics

Good Luck,

Gary

[MARC2012]

I would avoid win 7,have one hate it.marc

[sailingdog]

Toughbooks and other ruggedized computers are great if you really need a machine that can take the abuse. However, for most people, they're not necessary. Even an older machine, like the 1 GHz Pentium III machine I use on board is probably fast enough to do whatever you might need. You can get these machines pretty cheaply nowadays...Get a couple identically equipped. Image the drive... and you're done...when one dies, yank the drive, and pop it into a new chassis... and keep going.

[labatt]

Ditto on SD's post... you can spend a ton of money on Toughbooks, or you can buy 2-3 laptops for the same price. The big thing to watch out for is power usage - a lot of the newer multimedia notebooks (especially HP) have LARGE power draws on the order of 12-18AH when charging. Netbooks are neat (we have one) but the screens often are a pain since their resolution is low and can sometimes be odd. We use it as a backup. I see no issue with Windows 7 - I like it more than XP and Vista and find it faster in many cases. Whatever device you get, it may be worth it to spend the extra money on the accidental damage protection, but get this direct from the manufacturer if you can as opposed to through places like Best Buy. You can end up waiting two weeks for a replacement device through those guys (and I know from experience). We also have a 1TB portable hard drive (USB powered - doesn't need an external AC plug) that we have a big soft case around and we backup our data to it.

[Minnewaska]

There's an Ipad thread going elsewhere, but the Ipad in a waterproof case seems like a good solution to me.

[sailingdog]

I'd point out one advantage of the "ruggedized" notebooks is that many were upgraded with a transreflective TFT LCD screen that is "DAYLIGHT READABLE", which most standard notebooks don't have.

[Patient]

There are a couple of laptops that have been announced recently as being waterproof. Toshiba and NEC come to mind. These are not toughbooks but rather consumer laptops that advertise full submersion as being doable.

YouTube - Toshiba - Waterproof laptop!

There is also a few articles and companies that will "Waterproof" electronic devices by spraying the insides with a coating.

I agree with the premise posted here already that you can most likely find a solution that will run you well under the cost of the Toughbooks.

[labatt]

Most of the cruising laptops we saw destroyed were either: 1) Cracked or damaged screens, 2) Corroded exterior adapter ports (i.e. USB ports), or the most common one: 3) External power brick connection to the laptop is ripped apart. I can't say I ever heard of a cruiser's laptop failing due to internal corrosion while we're out, but I'm sure it also occurs. A waterproof/resistant laptop might deal with item (2), but it won't help items (1) or (3).

By the way - we don't bring our laptops into the cockpit unless it's a sunny day, we're motoring and the seas are OK. It's just not worth the risk of getting an errant wave over the side (which we did experience while transiting to Key Biscayne and it took out a Gameboy and my Kindle).